The Missing Ink

Chapter 31

Jeff Coleman looked like he hadn’t slept since I’d seen him the other night. Black smudges accented his eyes; his five-o’clock shadow was more like ten o’clock.

I didn’t care. “What are you doing? Did you send me over to Versailles knowing I’d find a dead guy in the bathroom?”

Jeff glanced around at all the tourists who’d brought their kids to Vegas like it was some sort of Disneyland. Yeah, there was a roller coaster, but it was just the backdrop for the blackjack and roulette tables, the slot machines. A few years back, Vegas wanted to become a family destination, but somewhere along the way it realized that was a sham. Adventuredome was one of the few leftovers. Even the MGM had shed its amusement park and Wizard of Oz identity in favor of topless showgirls.

He took my elbow and led me out of the path of the crowd, next to the airplane ride for toddlers. “You’ve got to believe me, Kavanaugh. I had no idea.”

I studied his face, looking for a lie, but I couldn’t see it.

“So what’s going on?”

“I don’t know. All I know is, someone took the gun I keep at my shop and apparently planted it with Kelly’s body to incriminate me.”

“Why do you have a gun in your shop?”

He chuckled. “Kavanaugh, you don’t have the same walk-in clientele I have. And you don’t stay open past midnight.”

Point taken.

“Did someone break into the shop?” I asked.

Jeff sighed. “My mother forgets to lock the door. No one needs to break in.”

I remembered how Sylvia had left the door unlocked when I was there.

“There were latex gloves and needles in the bathroom in that suite,” I said. “Was anything else missing from your shop?”

He frowned. “I don’t know. Gloves and needles? Really?”

“They confiscated my case.”

Jeff rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Whoever killed that guy didn’t know you were going to be there, but thought I was. I don’t get it. Why set me up? I didn’t even know the guy who was killed.”

“But you knew Kelly, who had a tie to Elise, who knew the guy who was killed.”

Jeff made a face at me. “And Professor Plum was killed by a candlestick in the parlor.”

“Funny, ha, ha.”

“Yeah, but we’re missing some parts of the story, Kavanaugh.”

I debated whether I should be the bearer of the bad news, but I had no choice. “Kelly was pregnant,” I said. “Four months.”

His face turned white, his eyes wide. “That’s impossible.”

“My brother told me,” I said. “So I don’t think it’s just a rumor. The cops want to ask you about it.”

He couldn’t seem to get his bearings. His eyes skirted around. “I couldn’t get her pregnant before. Why would they think I could now?”

“Beats me,” I said softly. “So are you sure it was her and not you-the problems, I mean?”

Jeff nodded. “That’s what the doctors said.”

“Did you do an in vitro or anything like that?” I knew my question was deeply personal, but I was curious.

For a second I thought he was going to tell me to mind my own business, but then he said, “We started the process, but it just seemed too complicated after a while. She was young, not even thirty. She told me maybe it would straighten itself out.” He paused. “I guess it did.”

“But she left you.”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“You trained her,” I said. “I found her on the Internet. She was inking some pretty big celebrities.”

“She was a fast learner. Could’ve used her in the shop.” His expression was wistful as he thought about what might’ve been. Go figure, but I was feeling sorry for him.

“So why leave you and reinvent herself in L.A.?” I asked.

Jeff snorted. “No clue. But she got to rub elbows with celebrities.”

She did more than rub elbows with Simon Chase.

“What about her brother? You know, I think he’s been following me around.”

“Following you? Like some sort of surveillance?”

I hadn’t thought of it that way. “I don’t know.” I told him about the few times I’d seen Matthew.

When I was done, Jeff said, “I don’t know what he’s up to, but he’s been around. Heard he was in a bar fight, almost killed a guy. I’d be careful around him.”

No kidding.

“Why don’t you just turn yourself in?” I asked him. “Just tell the police what you’ve told me. Someone stole your gun, probably stole the gloves and needles, too. You’re getting set up, and by hiding, they think you’re even guiltier.”

“I want to know why I’m being set up before I go to the cops.”

“Maybe you’re just an easy target,” I suggested.“Spurned ex-husband, you know the drill.”

“They could get that casino manager for the same reason,” he muttered.

“Simon Chase?” I couldn’t keep the surprise out of my voice. “You know about him?”

“A mutual acquaintance told me about it. Like I wanted to know.” Bitterness seeped out of his words. He shook his head. “Listen, Kavanaugh, can you keep your ear to the ground? I’ll check in with you. See if you can find out anything on your end, and I’ll try to see if I can figure out what’s going on.”

I opened my mouth to protest, and he put two fingers across my lips.

“Give me a day or two, and then I’ll talk to your brother, okay? Just give me that much time.”

I pulled my head back, away from his fingers. I didn’t see that I had much choice, and what was another couple of days? Kelly and Matt were dead already. Strangely, I trusted his story, the whole thing, from the stolen gun to his belief he was being set up.

I nodded. “Okay, a couple of days. And do me a favor, too, all right? If you hear anything about Kelly’s brother and why he’s following me, let me know?”

Jeff grinned. “Deal.”

“Brett!” I heard my name yelled across the sea of people, and I saw Joel lumbering toward me.

When I turned back to where Jeff had just been standing, he was gone.